Erasure - World Be Gone (New CD)

Erasure (Andy Bell and Vince Clarke) has always been adept at examining politics. It's just, perhaps, we were too busy dancing to register and contemplate the deeper meaning behind many of their classic songs, or perhaps world events just feel so much more intense right now. World Be Gone (the follow up to 2014's The Violet Flame), sees the band in an altogether more thoughtful and reflective mood. It's less bombastic than it's predecessor, love is still the focus but recent political upheavals have also left their mark. From the pounding beats of the album opener (and first single), "Love You To The Sky," the listener is immediately enveloped in Erasure at their optimistic best with a soaring chorus that fills the room with love and promise. On "World Be Gone," recent political upheavals are given a thoughtful examination and, as highlighted on the painted artwork showing a ship's masthead rising up from being submerged in the stormy waters, Erasure are looking ahead, towards an expectant future which points towards love as evidenced on the buoyant closer "Just A Little Love".